[XPERIA X1 Themes and Apps] Angelusz:
--- Guide ---

Step 1 - Opening up your editor.

Start CFC GUI and go to file - Select folder (F3). Navigate towards the folder that contains the files you extracted earlier. CFC GUI will start parsing all the files and when it's done show a list of all the QTC files in that folder. Here comes the tricky part. You need to find the file(s) that you wish to edit! Luckily, Chainfire has categorized most of the files for you already.

Step 2 - Extracting the PNG.

When you've found the file you need, select it in the list on the left. Now, to edit it, you'll need to extract it to a PNG file, so you've got a sort of template. On the bottom right of the CFC GUI screen, you'll see several buttons. Click "Save as". A dialog will appear, asking where you wish to save the file. Save the file somewhere convenient, as in the next step, you'll have to navigate towards it.

Step 3 - Opening up the image editor.

In this guide, we'll be using GIMP to edit the PNG files. Fire up the application (first time it'll load a bit longer, searching for files). If you're not used to working with image editing tools, it might seem a bit daunting at first, as there's so many options on the screen. Fear not, you'll get used to most (if not all) of them just by tinkering around with them.

In the top left, click "File" and then "Open". A dialog will appear, which asks you what to open. Navigate towards to folder where you previously extracted the PNG file to. Open it up and let it load. Tada! You have the converted QTC manila file right there, all yours to edit!

Step 4 - Editing the file.

This part is where it gets as complicated as you like it to be. If you wish to make something from scratch, I recommend using GIMP's tutorials to familiarize yourself with the tool. You can find the tutorials here.

Now, assuming you've already created a nice image you wish to use in your skin, first you'll have to open that up. GIMP will open a new window for each file you open, so try and keep track of what goes where! If you want to copy (parts) of your existing image over to the skin file, you can use the "select" tools to select the part you need (yeah, really..). Holding down the "shift" key while selecting lets you select multiple parts (it keeps the current selection whilst adding the thing you select next). Having done that, you can "copy" your selection using either the tab "Edit" and then "Copy", or just "CTRL+C". Now select the skin file's window and use "Edit" and then "Paste", or "CTRL+V". Voila, there it is, on top of the previous skin file.

This is because GIMP (as well as photoshop) uses Layers. This basically means that a single picture can consist of several pictures (layers) on top of eachother. This is convenient, as you'll be able to combine many elements into a single picture, and choose what's on top. You can find the Layers in one of the frames that popped up when you started GIMP (probably on the right of the screen). If you wish to not use one of the layers in the image (for instance the original one), click on the eye icon which you will find before the layer (look for the preview images). Now, you'll only see the image you pasted on top of the original. Use the original image to properly align your new image (especially useful for for instance icons).

Step 5 - Finishing up the PNG.

Now you have edited the file(s) to your needs, it's time to get them back into your manila to see what they look like on your phone! To do this, first you have to save the new image you created properly. Click "File" and then "Save as". A dialog pops up (if it pops up being really small, just drag the corner to see all of it's contents), which asks you where and how to save the file. Normally, GIMP will automatically save the file the way it was when you opened it (when extracted like described above, it'll be fine). If, however, for some reason you made a new file, make sure you press the + icon before "Select File Type", and select "PNG File". When saving, a dialog might pop up, that the PNG plugin can't handle layers. This is logical, as the image file will have to be converted back to a single image. To do this, select "Merge Visible Layers". (photoshop does this automagically). Next, you click "Export" or "Save" to continue. Then, another dialog pops up, asking for some options. Here, you don't want to modify any of the options, just press "save" and it should be fine.

Step 6 - Importing the file back into the QTC

You´re almost done, it´s time to prepare your QTC file for usage. Switch back to CFC GUI and as described above, navigate towards the folder where your QTC files are located. In the list, select the file you modified so you can preview it. On the bottom right of the CFC GUI window, now you´re looking for the "Replace with" button. When you press it, a dialog pops up, asking for a PNG file. At this point, you'll probably have guessed it - navigate to your modified PNG file, select it and click "Open". The QTC file is now modified!

Step 7 - Finishing up

After all your hard work, you'll probably agree it's time to put it into action. You've modified a QTC file, but it's still hiding amongst it's friends, in the folder you left it after copying it from your phone. It won't be hard to find, as you extracted a PNG from the QTC file earlier. This PNG will will have the exact same filename as the modified QTC file, except for the extension (duh..). So, look for that filename in the folder and place it in a seperate folder, again, easy for you to find. From there, copy it to your storage card and finally, from your phone, copy it from your storage card to your windows folder. If it asks if you wish to overwrite, tap "yes". Most changes won't be visible right away. The easiest way is to reset your phone, by holding down the power button, turning it off and then turning it back on. When it powers up and you see your TF3D interface, you'll be overjoyed to see your very own edited image right there!